Principles of Linguistic Change: Internal Factors (Language in Society)

Labov, William

ISBN 10: 0631179135 / ISBN 13: 9780631179139

Editore: Blackwell Pub, 1994

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Some wear, but still a good reading copy. Slight wrinkling/discoloration to some pages, but does not affect readability.Over 1,000,000 satisfied customers since 1997! Choose expedited shipping (if available) for much faster delivery. Delivery confirmation on all US orders.

Codice articolo 10772351

Dati bibliografici

• Titolo: Principles of Linguistic Change: Internal Factors (Language in Society)
• Editore: Blackwell Pub
• Data di pubblicazione: 1994
• Lingua: Inglese
• ISBN 10: 0631179135
• ISBN 13: 9780631179139
• Rilegatura: hardcover
• Condizione: Good

Descrizione articolo

Riassunto

Combining studies of living communities with examinations of historical records of completed changes, this book traces the general principles of chain shifting within and across vowel systems, as well as the principles that govern mergers and splits. Labov uses evidence from sociolinguistics and dialect geography to provide responses to the controversies initiated by the neo-grammarians. Though lexical diffusion can be located in changes of membership in abstract categories such as "long" and "short", the main agent of linguistic change, Labov argues, is regular sound change that proceeds without regard to the preservation of meaning. Change in sound can lead to confusion and the disruption of dialect systems. The findings presented here on the asymmetry of production and perception explain the historical continuity of word classes when the semantic function of contrast is suspended.